2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER Tow mode

Front-wheel drive models
NISSAN recommends that your vehicle be towed
with the driving wheels (front) off the ground or
place the vehicle on a flat bed truck as illustrated.
WARNING
●Never tow your vehicle with the front
wheels on the ground or 4 wheels on
the ground (forward or backward) , as
this may cause serious and expensive
damage to the transmission. If it is nec-
essary to tow the vehicle with the rear
wheels raised always use towing dollies
under the front wheels. ●
When towing with the rear wheels on
the ground or on towing dollies, place
the ignition switch in the ACC or ON
position, and secure the steering wheel
in the straight-ahead position with a
rope or similar device.VEHICLE RECOVERY (freeing a stuck
vehicle)
There are two options to recover a stuck vehicle:
pulling and rocking. For additional information,
regarding these options, please refer to the fol-
lowing sections.
Pulling a stuck vehicle
WARNING
To avoid vehicle damage, serious personal
injury or death when recovering a stuck
vehicle:
● Contact a professional towing service
to recover the vehicle if you have any
questions regarding the recovery
procedure.
● Attach recovery devices only to main
structural members of the vehicle or the
recovery hooks.
● Do not use the vehicle tie-downs to tow
or free a stuck vehicle.
● Only use devices specifically designed
for vehicle recovery and follow the
manufacturer’s instructions.
● Always pull the recovery device straight
out from the front of the vehicle. Never
pull at an angle.
● Route recovery devices so they do not
touch any part of the vehicle except the
attachment point.
LCE2041
6-14In case of emergency

Temperature conditions can also affect towing.
For example, towing a heavy trailer in high outside
temperatures on graded roads can affect engine
performance and cause overheating. The engine
protection mode, which helps reduce the chance
of engine damage, could activate and automati-
cally decrease engine power. Vehicle speed may
decrease under high load. Plan your trip carefully
to account for trailer and vehicle load, weather
and road conditions.
WARNING
Overheating can result in reduced engine
power and vehicle speed. The reduced
speed may be lower than other traffic,
which could increase the chance of a col-
lision. Be especially careful when driving.
If the vehicle cannot maintain a safe driv-
ing speed, pull to the side of the road in a
safe area. Allow the engine to cool and
return to normal operation. For additional
information, refer to “If your vehicle over-
heats” in the “In case of emergency” sec-
tion of this manual.
CAUTION
Vehicle damage resulting from improper
towing procedures is not covered by
NISSAN warranties.
Tongue load
When using a weight carrying or a weight distrib-
uting hitch, keep the tongue load between 10 -
15% of the total trailer load or use the trailer
tongue load specified by the trailer manufacturer.
The tongue load must be within the maximum
tongue load limits shown in the following “Towing
Load/Specification” chart. If the tongue load be-
comes excessive, rearrange cargo to allow for
proper tongue load.
Maximum Gross Vehicle Weight
(GVW)/maximum Gross Axle Weight
(GAW)
The GVW of the towing vehicle must not exceed
the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
shown on the F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S. certification
label. The GVW equals the combined weight of
the unloaded vehicle, passengers, luggage,
hitch, trailer tongue load and any other optional
equipment. In addition, front or rear GAW must
not exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) shown on the F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S.
certification label.
WTI0160LTI2042
9-18Technical and consumer information

●Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
● Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin or
lock to prevent the coupler from inadver-
tently becoming unlatched.
● Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.
● Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
● Always drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed.
● When backing up, hold the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand. Move your
hand in the direction in which you want the
trailer to go. Make small corrections and
back up slowly. If possible, have someone
guide you when you are backing up.
Always block the wheels on both vehicle and
trailer when parking. Parking on a slope is not
recommended; however, if you must do so:
CAUTION
If you move the shift lever to the P (Park)
position before blocking the wheels and
applying the parking brake, transmission
damage could occur. 1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Have someone place blocks on the downhill
side of the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. After the wheel blocks are in place, slowly release the brake pedal until the blocks ab-
sorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park) .
6. Turn off the engine.
To drive away: 1. Start the vehicle.
2. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks. ●
While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may de-
crease overall stability. Therefore, to main-
tain adequate control, reduce your speed
and shift to a lower gear. Avoid long or
repeated use of the brakes when descend-
ing a hill, as this reduces their effectiveness
and could cause overheating. Shifting to a
lower gear instead provides “engine brak-
ing” and reduces the need to brake as fre-
quently.
● If the engine coolant temperature rises to a
high temperature, refer to “If your vehicle
overheats” in the “In case of emergency”
section of this owner’s manual.
● Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances.
● Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (805 km) .
● For the first 500 miles (805 km) that you do
tow, do not drive over 50 MPH (80 km/h).
● Have your vehicle serviced more often than
at intervals specified in the recommended
Maintenance Schedule in the “NISSAN Ser-
vice and Maintenance Guide”.
9-26Technical and consumer information

●When making a turn, your trailer wheels will
be closer to the inside of the turn than your
vehicle wheels. To compensate for this,
make a larger than normal turning radius
during the turn.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely
affect vehicle/trailer handling, possibly caus-
ing vehicle sway. When being passed by
larger vehicles, be prepared for possible
changes in crosswinds that could affect ve-
hicle handling.
Do the following if the trailer begins to sway: 1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal to allow the vehicle to coast and steer as
straight ahead as the road conditions allow.
This combination will help stabilize the ve-
hicle.
– Do not correct trailer sway by steering or applying the brakes.
2. When the trailer sway stops, gently apply the brakes and pull to the side of the road in a
safe area.
3. Try to rearrange the trailer load so it is bal- anced as described earlier in this section. ●
Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires con-
siderably more distance than normal pass-
ing. Remember, the length of the trailer must
also pass the other vehicle before you can
safely change lanes.
● Use the Tow Mode or downshift the trans-
mission to a lower gear for engine braking
when driving down steep or long hills. This
will help slow the vehicle without applying
the brakes.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat, resulting in reduced
braking efficiency.
● Increase your following distance to allow for
greater stopping distances while towing a
trailer. Anticipate stops and brake gradually.
● NISSAN recommends that the cruise con-
trol not be used while towing a trailer.
● Some states or provinces have specific
regulations and speed limits for vehicles that
are towing trailers. Obey the local speed
limits. ●
Check your hitch, trailer wiring harness con-
nections, and trailer wheel lug nuts after
50 miles (80 km) of travel and at every break.
● When launching a boat, don’t allow the wa-
ter level to go over the exhaust tail pipe or
rear bumper.
● Make sure you disconnect the trailer lights
before backing the trailer into the water or
the trailer lights may burn out.
When towing a trailer, final drive gear oil
should be replaced and transmission
oil/fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information, refer to
the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself” sec-
tion in this manual.
Tow mode
Using tow mode is recommended when pulling a
heavy trailer or hauling a heavy load. Press the
TOW MODE switch to activate tow mode. The
indicator light on the TOW MODE switch illumi-
nates when tow mode is selected. Press the
TOW MODE switch again to turn tow mode off.
Tow mode is automatically cancelled when the
ignition switch is turned OFF.
Technical and consumer information9-27

Tow mode includes the following features:● Grade logic — Adjusts transmission shifts
when pulling a trailer or hauling a load up a
grade.
● Downhill Speed Control (DSC) — automati-
cally downshifts when driving down a grade
with a trailer or heavy load to help control
vehicle speed.
Driving the vehicle in the tow mode with no
trailer/load or light trailer/light load will not cause
any damage. However, fuel economy may be
reduced and the transmission/engine driving
characteristics may feel unusual.
When towing a trailer, final drive gear oil
should be replaced and transmission
oil/fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information, refer to
the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself” sec-
tion in this manual.
FLAT TOWING FOR 4–WHEEL
DRIVE VEHICLE (if so equipped)
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground is sometimes called flat towing. This
method is sometimes used when towing a vehicle
behind a recreational vehicle, such as a motor
home.
CAUTION
● Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission damage.
● Never flat tow your 4-wheel drive (4WD)
vehicle.
● DO NOT tow your 4-wheel drive (4WD)
vehicle with any wheels on the ground.
Doing so may cause serious and expen-
sive damage to the powertrain.
● For emergency towing procedures refer
to “Towing recommended by NISSAN”
in the “In case of emergency” section of
this manual.
FLAT TOWING FOR FRONT WHEEL
DRIVE VEHICLE (if so equipped)
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground is sometimes called flat towing. This
method is sometimes used when towing a vehicle
behind a recreational vehicle, such as a motor
home.
CAUTION
● Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission damage.
● Whenever flat towing your vehicle, al-
ways tow forward, never backward.
● Never tow your front wheel drive vehicle
with the front tires on the ground. Doing
so may cause serious and expensive
damage to the powertrain.
● DO NOT tow your front wheel drive con-
tinuously variable transmission vehicle
with all four wheels on the ground (flat
towing) . Doing so WILL DAMAGE inter-
nal transmission parts due to lack of
transmission lubrication.
● For emergency towing procedures refer
to “Towing recommended by NISSAN”
in the “In case of emergency” section of
this manual.
Continuously Variable Transmission
To tow a vehicle equipped with a continuously
variable transmission, an appropriate vehicle
dolly MUST be placed under the towed vehicle’s
drive wheels. Alwaysfollow the dolly manufac-
turer’s recommendations when using their prod-
uct.
9-28Technical and consumer information

Shoulder belt height adjustment......1-23
Three-point type with retractor .......1-20
Seat belt extenders ...............1-23
Seatbeltwarninglight..........1-20,2-14
Seats 2nd row bench seat adjustment ....1-7,1-9
Adjustment ...................1-2
Armrests...................1-10
Automatic drive positioner ..........3-36
Frontseats...................1-2
Heatedseats..........2-38,2-39,2-40
Manual front seat adjustment .........1-3
Security indicator light ..............2-17
Security system (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer
system) , engine start ........2-29,3-4,5-13
Security systems Vehicle security system ...........2-28
Self-adjusting brakes ..............8-20
Service manual order form ...........9-32
Servicing air conditioner .............4-50
Shoulder belt height adjustment ........1-23
Sonar Rear system .................5-47
Spark plug replacement .............8-17
Spark plugs ...................8-17
Specifications ...................9-8
Speedometer ...................2-4
Spotlights(Seemaplight) ...........2-59
SRS warning label ................1-65
Stability control .................5-43
Starting Before starting the engine ..........5-13
Jump starting ..............6-9,8-16
Precautions when starting and driving ....5-2
Push starting .................6-11
Starting the engine .............5-14 Starting the engine
...............5-14
Steering Heated steering wheel ...........2-41
Power steering fluid .............8-12
Power steering system ...........5-41
Steering wheel audio control switch .....4-102
Stoplight.....................8-26
Storage......................2-45
Storagebin....................2-51
Sunglassescase.................2-47
Sunglassesholder................2-47
Sunroof(seeMoonroof).............2-54
Sun visors ....................3-32
Supplemental air bag warning labels ......1-65
Supplemental air bag warning light . . .1-65, 2-15
Supplemental front impact air bag system . . .1-55
Supplemental restraint system Information and warning labels .......1-65
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ....................1-48
Supplemental restraint system
(Supplemental air bag system) .........1-48
Switch Autolightswitch...............2-34
Automatic power window switch ......2-54
Foglightswitch ...............2-37
Hazard warning flasher switch ........6-2
Headlight and turn signal switch ......2-33
Headlight control switch ..........2-34
Instrument brightness control ........2-36
Power door lock switch ............3-6
Power inverter switch ............2-42
Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch.....................2-33
Rear window wiper and washer switches .2-32
Tow mode switch ..............2-43 Turnsignalswitch..............2-36
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off
switch
.....................2-42
Wiper and washer switch ..........2-30
T
T

achometer ....................2-5
Temperature gauge Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-5
Theft (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) ,
engine start .............2-29,3-4,5-13
Three-way catalyst ................5-2
Tire Flat tire .....................6-3
Spare tire ................6-4,8-39
Tire and Loading Information label .....9-12
Tire chains ..................8-36
Tire pressure .................8-29
Tire rotation..................8-36
Tires of 4-wheel drive ............8-38
Types of tires .................8-35
Uniform tire quality grading .........9-29
Wheels and tires ...............8-29
Wheel/tire size .................9-9
Tire pressure Low tire pressure warning light .......2-12
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) ....5-3
Top tether strap child restraint .........1-31
Towing 4-wheel drive models ............6-13
Flattowing..................9-28
Towing load/specification ..........9-20
Towtrucktowing...............6-12
Trailer towing .................9-17
10-6

Towing a trailer..................9-17
Tow mode switch ................2-43
Transceiver HomeLink® Universal
Transceiver .......2-60,2-61,2-62,2-63
Transmission Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
fluid......................8-12
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) .............5-15
Travel (See registering your vehicle in another
country) ......................9-10
Trip odometer ...................2-4
Turn signal switch ................2-36
U
Uniform tire quality grading ...........9-29
USB interface ...............4-87,4-88
Audio file operation ..........4-87,4-89
Video file operation .............4-90
V
Vanity mirror ...................3-33
Variable voltage control system .........8-17
Vehicledimensionsandweights.........9-9
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off switch . . .2-42
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) system .....5-43
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system ....5-43
Vehicle identification ...............9-10
Vehicle identification number (VIN) .......9-10
Vehicle identification number (VIN)
(Chassis number) ................9-10 Vehicle identification number (VIN) plate
....9-10
Vehicle immobilizer system .....2-29,3-4,5-13
Vehicle loading information ...........9-13
Vehicle recovery ..............6-14,6-15
Vehicle security system .............2-28
Vehicle security system
(NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) , engine
start ..................2-29,3-4,5-13
Ventilators ....................4-37
Visors.......................3-32
Voice Prompt Interrupt ........4-120, 4-132
Voice recognition system ...........4-143
W
Warning Airbagwarninglight.........1-65,2-15
Anti-lock brake warning light ........2-11
Battery charge warning light ........2-12
Blind Spot Intervention (BSI) warning
light......................5-19
Blind Spot Warning (BSW) warning
light......................5-19
Brake warning light .............2-11
Engine oil pressure warning light ......2-12
Hazard warning flasher switch ........6-2
Loose fuel cap warning ........2-28,3-29
Lowfuelwarninglight.....2-12,2-14,2-26
Low tire pressure warning light .......2-12
Low windshield-washer fluid warning
light ..................2-14,2-27
Passenger air bag and status light .....1-57
Seatbeltwarninglight........1-20,2-14
Supplemental air bag warning
light ..................1-65,2-15 Vehicle security system
...........2-28
Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders ...............2-10,2-15
Warning labels (for SRS) ..........1-65
Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders.................2-10,2-15 Audiblereminders ..........2-10,2-15
Indicatorlights ............2-10,2-15
Warning lights .............2-10,2-15
Warning lights ...............2-10,2-15
Washer switch Rear window wiper and washer
switches...................2-32
Wiperandwasherswitch..........2-30
Weights (See dimensions and weights) .....9-9
Wheels and tires .................8-29
Wheel/tire size ...................9-9
When traveling or registering your vehicle in
another country .................9-10
Windows .....................2-52
Locking
passengers’ windows .......2-53
Power rear windows .............2-53
Rear power windows ............2-53
Windshield-washerfluid.............8-13
Windshieldwiperblades............8-19
Wiper Rear window wiper and washer
switches...................2-32
Wiperandwasherswitch..........2-30
Wiperblades.................8-19
Wiper and washer switch ............2-30
10-7